Hello my name is Rich Tirado.  I am a realtor and new to bigger pockets. I have the basic "Free Membership". Where should I start? 

Welcome @Rich Tirado there are lots of ways to participate on BiggerPockets. If you are interested in investing, then I recommend listening to the podcast episodes. You can follow key words on the forums to interact with other local investors looking for advice. Or you can post questions to start your own discussions. My suggestion is share a little more about what you are looking to do. 

@Joe Splitrock I tried to but got tagged as self promotion. I do a lot of BPO for banks so I am familiar with "AS IS" values and ARV's . We do a lot of HUD and Freddie Mac in the office as well as others.

@Rich Tirado

Welcome to Bigger Pockets.

Originally posted by @Rich Tirado :

@Joe Splitrock I tried to but got tagged as self promotion. I do a lot of BPO for banks so I am familiar with "AS IS" values and ARV's . We do a lot of HUD and Freddie Mac in the office as well as others.

 Self promotion is prohibited unless you are in marketplace, which requires a paid membership. That is to prevent the website from being overrun with people trying to sell things or promote their own services. My suggestion is answer questions and respond to local investor tags. When people find you helpful, they will connect with you and that is a great way to build your professional network. 

Thank you. I have already reached out to a few investors in my area and got a response from one already. Thanks.

@George Blower - Thank you. I'm a realtor from Meriden (Central) CT

Hi @Rich Tirado - welcome to BP. I am from Fairfield County and would love to connect for coffee.

@Gaetano Ciambriello - Do you have lender that speak Spanish?

@Rich Tirado

Yes, we do. You can shoot me a PM if you would like.

Hello @Todd Jackson , welcome to BP! My favorite investor networking event in Columbus is COIN : https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/56...

Are you interested in connecting with Realtors and others in the industry as well? If so, I'd suggest checking out the Real Estate Area Associations, there's one for every area of central Ohio. There aren't many contractors in either association that I'm a member so you'd likely make good connections wherever you go. There are many other real estate and investor groups out there as well. 

Contractors are in short supply here so I'm sure if your work is good, you will be very successful!  

Originally posted by @Amanda Roderick :

Hello @Todd Jackson , welcome to BP! My favorite investor networking event in Columbus is COIN : https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/56...

Are you interested in connecting with Realtors and others in the industry as well? If so, I'd suggest checking out the Real Estate Area Associations, there's one for every area of central Ohio. There aren't many contractors in either association that I'm a member so you'd likely make good connections wherever you go. There are many other real estate and investor groups out there as well. 

Contractors are in short supply here so I'm sure if your work is good, you will be very successful!  

 Have you been to a COIN meeting? 

Hi @Robert Ellis - I have! I've been going since maybe the 3rd meeting or so. It's been a great group so far and it seems like it'll outgrow the current space quickly. Good networking and education and one of the best parts is that no one is trying to sell something like at COREE meetings. :) There's probably 4 or 5 agents that go, at least one attorney, some lenders and contractors, and of course a lot of investors and soon-to-be investors etc... a good mix overall! 

Originally posted by @Amanda Roderick :

Hi @Robert Ellis - I have! I've been going since maybe the 3rd meeting or so. It's been a great group so far and it seems like it'll outgrow the current space quickly. Good networking and education and one of the best parts is that no one is trying to sell something like at COREE meetings. :) There's probably 4 or 5 agents that go, at least one attorney, some lenders and contractors, and of course a lot of investors and soon-to-be investors etc... a good mix overall! 

 how big are they? like 50 people? 

@Robert Ellis There's around 80 on the directory. I would guess around 40-50 people come every month.